Vegetable cutter



March 31. 1925. 1,531,934

A. A. HELLBAUM ET AL VEGETABLE CUT-TER Filed June 23, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet 1l 2j /0 l l @JIM u (inc unuj Much 31. 1925., j 1,531,934

A. A. HELLBAUM ET AL l VEGETABLE CUTTER Filed June 23, 1924 2shuts-sheet 2 @www I -ggnucn QI'S Fred E. He//baum t Patented Mar. 3l,1925.

UNITED STATES `PATiazNT OFFICE.

ARTHUR A. HELLBAUM, FRED E. HEL'LBAUM, AND .linnn HOGKMAN, oF ENDIco'rT,WASHINGTON.

VEGETABLE CUTTER.

Application led June 23, 1924v Serial No. 721,651.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, ARTHUR A. HELL- BAUM, and 'FRED E. HELLBAUM,citizens of the United States of America, and FRED l-IocKMAN, citizen ofGermany (first papers applied for in January, 1924, declaringintentionto become a citizen of the United States of America), residing atlEndicott, YVhitman County, and Stateof Vashington, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Vegetable Cutters, of which thefollowing' is a specification. v

The present invention relates to improvements in vegetable cutters ofthe rotary type, especially adapted for household use in slicingcabbage, potatoes, beans and similar vegetables, and for certain kindsof fruit.

The invention embodies a rotary cutting head or disk having cuttingblades carried thereby and set at an angle to insure a draw cut or slicemovement on the vegetable, which is fed thereby by means of al selectedhopper. A set of interchangeable feed hoppers for use with various kindsof vegetables or fruitis designed for use in connection with the deviceas will be described. Y

The device of the invention is preferably hand operated and portable,and is provided with a receptacle to receive the cut vegetables or fruitafter slicing or cutting inthe machine. The primary object of theinvention is the provision of a device of this character that is compactin its arrangement, simple in construction and operation, and composedof a. minimum number of parts or elements, thus rendering it inexpensivein cost of production and not likely to require repair or readjustment.The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements ofparts as will hereinafter be more fully pointed out andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physicalembodiment of (he invention is illustrated, wherein the parts arecombined and arranged in accordance Vwith the best mode thus far devisedfor the practical application of the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the inventionshowing the means for attaching it to a table or other suitable support.

Figure 2 is a vertical central sectional view 0f the device .es et line212 0f Figure blades to the edge wall of the feed aperture v of thecasing.

Figure 7 is a front view of a feed hopper in place, for largevegetables, as cabbage. Figure 8 is a perspective view of a feed devicefor cucumbers and similar vegetables; and Figure 9 is a similar view ofanother feed hopper for a different type of vegetable, as string beans.

In carrying out the invention a casing or housing 1 is utilized, whichis of proper size and shaped to conformi to the enclosed operatinglparts of the portable, hand operated machine. vScrew clamps as 2 areprovided by means of which the device may be detachably secured forservice to a table top T or toother suitable support, and in the lowerportion of the housing or casing is located a rectangular tray or drawer3 to receive the cut vegetablesfand a handle 4 is provided formanipulating the tray. f i

The rotary cutter head 5 is a circular disk preferably fashioned fromsheet metal and provided with a reinforcing annular fiange 6 to insurestability of movement. The cutter head carries a series of cuttingblades 7 four being shown in the drawings. These blades are preferablystamped or struck up from the metal of the cutter head and are beveledat 8 to form a cutting odge, which as shown in 'Figure 5 extendstangentially with relation to thc'aXis of the cutter head to insure adraw or slicing cut on the vegetable as the cutter head rotates,anticlockwise.

At one side of the central axis of the cuttei` head is located in thefront wall of the housing a feed aperture or opening 9 having a smoothand uniform anged edge or wall 10 at the inner side of the housing forco-action with the cutting edge ofthe blades as best illustrated inFigure (j,

The cutter head is disposed upon a horizontal: aXis and its central hub11 is rotatable with its operating shaft 12 which is journaled inbearings 13 and 14C respectively at the frontandrear of the housing orcasing. A spring is coiled about the shaft and interposed between thehub 11 and the fixed washer 16 on the shaft, and it will'be apparentthat the spring has a tendency 4to urgethe cutter head, through its hub,and sha-ft, and the .cutting blades on the head toward the front. Thisaction of the spring provides a resilient means for holding the cuttingblades inoperative relation to the guide .flange or.- wall v10 aroundthe feed opening 9. The movement of the shaft longitudinally is limitedby an adjustiiigor set screw 17 alined withthe axis of the sha-ft andthreaded ,into the bearing plate 18.011 the front Yof the` machine.

The cutter is rotated, manually, from the crank vhandle `19 onk a crankshaft 20, and power is Atransmitted from the crank shaft to .the cuttershaftrthrough apair` of pinions 21 and'22 the former on thecrank-shaftiand the .latter on .the cutter. shaft, the-` parts being`geared .to rotate the cutter head at :high speed.v

A'bearing, brace or bar 23 is provided for the-.crank shaft 2() which islocated adjacent -to and parallel .with the. cutter shaft, and a rearbearing is provided at Qiifor the crank shaft. This bearing brace isynotched in its upper, edge vto receive the cutter shaft which -rpassesytransversely. therethrough.

The feed aperture 9 inthe fron-t 4plate of the casingis somewhat.U.shape, and ,around this aperture is attached a .U-shaped bracketplate 25 havingan inner flange 26 to provide a groove formation for Atheyreception `of a selected feed hopper. IiiFigures 4 and 7 a hopper 27.is shown ladapted especially for cabbage; 28 in lFigure 8 vand 29 inFigure vE) are respectively for cucumbers and string beans. All of thehoppers have a plate as 30 adapted to slip inthe bracket back oftheU-shaped yflange 26, and by means of this plate and flange arrangementthe liopper'is detaehably fixed in position for feedingv the vegetablestherethrough.` When a selected iopper is attached to the frontofthe'housing the vegetable maybe fed `therethrough and pushed into theaperture. The vegetablemay be yheld in the left hand for iii stance,`and the crank. 19. is turned lby the by hand linto the aperture 9 theblades of the rotary cutter successively slice or-cut offthe end of thevegetable protruding into theaperture, and the slices fall into the trayor receptacle, after which the receptacle .may be withdrawn and thesliced vegetable disposed of as desired.

The thickness of the slice `to be cut 01T may be governed by vpressureon the materialfed into the aperture 9. Thus if only a slight .pressureis ,exerted bythe left hand a thin slice will result, whilefto secure athicker slice, greater pressure is applied. The application of greater.pressure results in forcing the cutter head, against pressure of spring15, yaway from the guide .wallx10, and the thickness of the slice isgoverned by the vdistance .between the guide wall and 4the disk. Thespring holds the cutter head-and its blades ,in operativerelation vtoythe guide wall at all times 4regardless of the distance between them.

Having thus fully describedlthe invention, what is claimed herein is 1.The combination with -a vegetable cutter hav-ing a housing and Vfeedaperture therein, of an interiorguide wallabout said aperture, a.longitudinally movable. cutter shaft journaled in the housing,adjustable means supported in zthe liousingforlimiting its movementandmeans for urging the shaft :toward said vlimiting means, a Acutterhead on the shaft, .cutting blades carried by said .head vfor co-factionwith-saidiguide wall and means for operating said shaft.

2. In a vegetable cutter the combination of a `housing having. anaperture and. an interior guidewall about the. aperture, a cutter shaftjoui'naled and longitudinally movable in the housingand a set screw forlim-itingsuch inzovement, ra cutter head on theshafft and.cuttingbladesthereon for coaction with said gli-ide wall, a springy for maintainingthe cutterv head` in operative relation to said guide wall, andv -meansfor rotating said shaft.

In testimony whereof we affix` our sig natures.

FRED E. HELLBAUM. FRED HCKMAN.

